Category Archives: Manufacturers

Review: Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 Di III RXD

Introduction

tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 2.8 review comparsion sharpness resolution contrast 42mp 61mp test sony a7rIII a7rII a7riv
Tamron 17-28mm 2.8 Di III RXD on Sony A7rII

Tamron’s first E-mount lens was the 28-75mm 2.8. Compared to the 24-70mm 2.8 lenses Tamron decided to give up a bit of zoom range to realize an affordable and compact yet fast standard zoom.
This 17-28mm 2.8 shares these qualities on paper, so let us see if the optical performance can keep up with our expectations.
Last update 07/25/19: Sharpness Close, Focus Shift, Alternatives, Pro/Con table added

Sample Images

tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 2.8 review comparsion sharpness resolution contrast 42mp 61mp test sony a7rIII a7rII a7riv
Sony A7rII | Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 | 20mm f/11
tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 2.8 review comparsion sharpness resolution contrast 42mp 61mp test sony a7rIII a7rII a7riv
Sony A7rII | Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 | 28mm f/8.0
tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 2.8 review comparsion sharpness resolution contrast 42mp 61mp test sony a7rIII a7rII a7riv
Sony A7rII | Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 | 28mm f/2.8
tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 2.8 review comparsion sharpness resolution contrast 42mp 61mp test sony a7rIII a7rII a7riv
Sony A7rII | Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 | 17mm f/2.8
tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 2.8 review comparsion sharpness resolution contrast 42mp 61mp test sony a7rIII a7rII a7riv
Sony A7rII | Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 | 28mm f/2.8

Continue reading Review: Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 Di III RXD

Laowa 100mm f2.8 CA-Dreamer Macro 2x: A review

This lens costs $449. It’s a 100mm f2.8 macro, which focuses down to twice life-size. A feat no other lens in its class achieves. It also focuses to infinity. It claims to be apochromatic. How good can it be? Is it, as some suspected when they first heard about it, good for macro but only an emergency lens for infinity use? Or is it the deal of the century? I’m afraid I’m going to make you read further if you want to find out!

UPDATE at the end I have some info which might make the lens more attractive than most of my review suggests.

Samples

Continue reading Laowa 100mm f2.8 CA-Dreamer Macro 2x: A review

Review: Voigtlander Nokton 21mm F1.4 E

The Voigtlander 1.4/21 is a relatively compact super fast lens for the Sony FE system. In this review I evaluate it’s performance in a wide range of scenarios.

Image Samples

Most images in this review can be found in full resolution in my Voigtlander 1.4/21mm flickr set.

 

Specifications

Diameter 70.5 mm
Length 79.5 mm
Filter Thread 62 mm
Weight (no hood, no caps) 539 g
Max. Magnification 1:7
Close Focusing Distance from the sensor 0.25 m
Number of aperture blades 12
Elements/ Groups 13/11

The Voigtlander 1.4/21 sells for $1199 at CameraQuest | Amazon.com or B&H. 1399€ at ebay.de or ebay.co.uk (affiliate links). If you purchase the lens through one of these affiliate-links I get a small compensation with no additional cost to you.

Changelog

  • 28.6.2019 – Start of review
  • 2.7.2019 – Added some Samples, linked full resolution images and updated alternatives section
  • finalized review

Continue reading Review: Voigtlander Nokton 21mm F1.4 E

Review: Voigtlander 21mm F3.5 Color-Skopar

The Voigtlander 3.5/21 is a tiny, relatively affordable, manual focus lens for the Sony FE system. In this review I evaluate it’s performance.

Image Samples

You can find most images shown in this image in full resolution in this album.

Specifications

Diameter 63 mm
Length 40 mm
Filter Thread 52 mm
Weight 230 g
Max. Magnification
Close Focusing Distance from the sensor 0.2 m
Number of aperture blades 10
Elements/ Groups 9/8

The Voigtlander 3.5/21 sells for $699 at CameraQuestB&H or amazon.com.749€ at ebay.de (affiliate links). If you purchase the lens through one of these affiliate-links I get a small compensation with no additional cost to you. 

Changelog

  • 4.6.19: A few minor changes, long-term conclusion and new samples
  • 6.11.18: Updated Alternatives, Sharpness, Alternatives and conclusion

Continue reading Review: Voigtlander 21mm F3.5 Color-Skopar